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{{Football club infobox | {{Football club infobox |
clubname = Rangers F.C. | clubname = Celtic F.C.|
image = ] | image = ] |
fullname = Rangers Football Club | fullname = The Celtic Football Club |
nickname = ''The Gers, Teddy Bears, Light Blues| nickname = The Bhoys, The Hoops, The Tic|
founded = 1873 | founded = 1888 |
ground = ],<br/>], ] | ground = ],<br/>], ] |
capacity = 50,411 | capacity = 60,830 |
chairman = ] ] | chairman = ] ] |
manager = ] ]| manager = ] ] |
league = ] | league = ] |
season = 2005-2006 | season = 2005-2006 |
position = ], 3rd | position = ], 1st |
shirtsupplier= Umbro | shirtsupplier= |
shirtsponsors= Carling | shirtsponsors= |
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=| pattern_la1=_white_hoops|pattern_b1=_whitehoops|pattern_ra1=_white_hoops|
leftarm1=0050e0|body1=0050e0|rightarm1=0050e0|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=000000| leftarm1=008000|body1=008000|rightarm1=008000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FFFFFF|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_redvertical|pattern_ra2=| pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=005090|socks2=FFFFFF| leftarm2=006600|body2=006600|rightarm2=006600|shorts2=006600|socks2=006600|
}} }}
'''Celtic Football Club''', more commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced '''sel tik'''), is based in the Scottish city of ]. The club is officially nicknamed the '''Bhoys''', or unofficially the Hoops. The team plays their home games at ] (sometimes known as Parkhead), which is currently the second largest club stadium in the United Kingdom. Celtic Park attracts, on average, around 57-58,000 people to every home game , which means that Celtic are second only to ] in terms of average attendance records in British football.


Together with their city rivals, ], they have dominated Scottish football for over 100 years as part of the ''']''', forming one of the most famous and fiercest rivalries in sport.
'''Rangers Football Club''' is a ] club from ], ], which plays in the ]. In 2003 Rangers became the first club in the world to win 50 domestic league titles and increased their tally to 51 on ], ], when they won the SPL again.


Celtic's home kit is green and white hooped jerseys, white shorts and white socks (currently with green trim).
Rangers have won 107 trophies in total, more than any other football club. The club's home is the UEFA five-star, all-seated ] in south west ], which has a capacity of 50,411.


In 1967, the club became the first British team to win the ], which had previously been in the preserve of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish clubs. Prior to Celtic's historic win, no other club in Northern Europe had won the tournament.
Rangers players today are multi-national, although the club has traditionally been identified with the ] community of Glasgow. For most of its history, Rangers have enjoyed a fierce rivalry with cross-town opponents ].


Additionally, Celtic remain the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final, and are the only club ever to win the trophy with a team composed entirely of home-grown talent; all of the players in the side were Scottish, and all were born within a 30-mile radius of ] in Glasgow.
The club's correct name is simply '''Rangers F.C.''' although it is sometimes incorrectly called '''Glasgow Rangers'''. This frequently happens with ] commentators seeking to distinguish between them and other similarly-named clubs, particularly '']''


==History==
The club is nicknamed '''The Teddy Bears''', from the rhyming slang for ''Gers'' (short for ''Rangers''), and the fans are known to each other as '''Bluenoses''' or '''Bears'''.
{{main|History of Celtic F.C.}}
'''Celtic Football Club''' was formally constituted at a meeting in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church hall on East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, ], by a Marist monk named Brother Walfrid on ], ].


The charity established by Brother Walfrid was named '''The Poor Children's Dinner Table'''. Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising was largely inspired by the example of ] who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population a few years earlier in ].
==History==


On ], ], Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5-2 in what was described as a "friendly encounter".
{{main|History of Rangers F.C.}}


==The Old Firm and sectarianism== ==The Old Firm and sectarianism==
The term ] refers to a group who belongs to a religious and cultural ], and display contempt, hatred or dislike of all others, not belonging to their sect. The term ] designates someone who relates to a ], and displays hatred or dislike of others who do not belong to their sect.


In the context of ], sectarianism is beyond the control of any individual club - it is a much wider issue, rooted in ], ], ] and ] circumstances. Nevertheless, both Rangers and Celtic accept that they have a problem with sectarianism and ]. Both clubs admit that a proportion of their supporters have been, and continue to be, guilty of perpetuating sectarian and partisan beliefs as well as cultural intolerance. In the context of Scottish football, sectarianism is beyond the control of any individual football club. It is a much wider issue, rooted in ], ], ] and ] circumstances. Nevertheless, both Celtic and Rangers accept that they have a problem with ]. Both sides of the ] admit that a proportion of their supporters have been, and continue to be, guilty of perpetuating sectarian beliefs and cultural intolerance.


In recent times, both Rangers and Celtic have taken measures to combat sectarianism. Working alongside the ], ] groups, schools and community organisations, the Old Firm has clamped down on sectarian songs, inflammatory flag-waving, and troublesome supporters, using increased levels of policing and surveillance. In recent times, both Celtic and Rangers have taken measures to combat sectarianism and ]. Working alongside the ], ] groups and community organisations, the Old Firm has clamped down on sectarian songs, inflammatory flag-waving, and troublesome supporters, using increased levels of policing and ]. In 1996, for instance, Celtic launched their ''Bhoys Against ]'' campaign, later followed by ''Youth Against Bigotry'' to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community - all races, all colours, all creeds", according to then chief executive Ian McLeod .


==Under Alex McLeish== ==Celtic and the media==
Celtic have always attempted to engage directly with the fans and bypass the traditional media outlets as a method of communicating accurate information to the outside world about the inner workings of the club.
Alex McLeish's four-and-a-half-year spell at Ibrox was a turbulent one, coming as it did after the wastefulness of the ] era. McLeish never enjoyed access to the funds his predecessors had been given, and his managership was marked by wildly-fluctuating fortunes, in part caused by forced asset stripping of his best players due to the spectre of debt from Advocaat's spending. However, even when this is taken into account, when given cash to spend, McLeish generally wasted it on a succession of unknown foreigners who proved huge failures at the club.


When ] took over as Celtic manager, he instigated a trend in British football that subsequently became known as the "tracksuit manager", where he trained publicly with the playing staff, hosted media/press conferences and instituted the UK's first ever regular football club newspaper to be produced directly by the club itself, '']''.
His appointment in December 2001 (see ]) was met with a lukewarm reaction amongst many Rangers supporters.


==An anti-Celtic agenda?==
Some viewed it as symptomatic of the downsizing of the club's ambitions, while others saw in McLeish a manager whose mixed fortunes at ] and ] left him ill-equipped to cope with the demands of managing a high-profile club like Rangers.
Many Celtic supporters claim that there is a bias against the club, though this is denied by supporters of other teams.


Supporters highlight the case of ] as an example of the alleged bias. In 1996 the striker's SFA registration papers were deliberately delayed by SFA chairman ], at the same time as a sequence of below-par results for the team during the period when Cadete was ineligible to play. Rangers went on to win a league and cup double, with Celtic losing only one match all season.
A few, remembering McLeish's days as centre-half colossus in ]'s successful Aberdeen side of the early 1980s, questioned whether someone lacking any obvious Rangers allegiance could revitalise a club faced, for the first time in decades, with a concerted challenge from a seemingly rejuvenated ]


Farry was later found guilty of misconduct and was sacked by the SFA, while Celtic received a compensation package of £50,000, although doubtless they would have preferred to have had the player available.
Such concerns were quickly allayed, however, as McLeish's Rangers began to display a spirit that had been sorely lacking in Advocaat's final seasons. Cup successes in McLeish's first half-season, 2001/2, saw a renewed sense of optimism that Rangers could regain the ascendancy claimed fleetingly by Celtic under the managership of ].


==Recent seasons==
A 3-2 defeat of Celtic in the season's climactic Scottish Cup final (see ]), orchestrated by Barry Ferguson and marked by a dramatic last minute winner, reinforced the view that Rangers could once more gain the pre-eminence enjoyed for almost all of the period since Graeme Souness's appointment as manager in 1986.
===2003-2004===
After a draw in the opening game of the season, Celtic notched up a record-setting 25-match winning run, now a British record in top-level football, giving Celtic a healthy lead in the title race. Celtic did not lose a game until after the club's 39th championship was delivered.


The 2003-2004 season also saw Celtic notch up four league wins over Rangers, and one in the Scottish Cup - the first time in either club's history when a five-match "whitewash" had been achieved.
His first full season as manager, 2002/3, saw the club fulfil this sense of promise, and featured an astonishingly tense run-in to the league campaign that many thought could never be repeated - until two years later.


Club hero ] played his final professional match for Celtic in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final victory over Dunfermline, scoring two goals, with Bulgarian Stilian Petrov's goal sandwiched in between Larsson's goals to overturn an early setback, and handing Celtic their second double under ].
Another victory over ], this time in the League Cup (see ]),provided the first leg of the club's latest treble. Rangers' half-century of championships was secured on a dramatic last day of the league season, with victory over Dunfermline denying Celtic the title on goal difference (see ]).


Larsson is now widely acknowledged as one of the club's greatest ever players, and ranks amongst the top three goalscorers in the club's history.
The destination of the title was unknown until the dying seconds of this match as both teams had headed into the game level on points and goal difference. Only a last-minute penalty by ] clinched the win. A somewhat drab and anti-climactic 1-0 victory over Dundee in the Scottish Cup final the following week saw a triumphant finalé to the season (see ]) and a near-flawless start to McLeish's reign, ruined only by a poor showing in Europe, which Rangers exited in the first round to minnows ].


===2004-2005===
Yet the overall success of McLeish's initial period as manager proved difficult to sustain. The club's parlous financial position, in the wake of the profligacy of the Advocaat era, meant a period of relative austerity.
Following a close race for the SPL title, with ] closely following, the club extended their lead at the top of the SPL table to two points as they lined up for the final game of the season, with a win at ] required to seal the title. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Celtic were leading 1 &ndash; 0 &mdash; a result which would have handed them the crown.


However, Motherwell's ] netted two last-minute goals giving the Fir Park side an unlikely victory. Rangers defeated ] 1 &ndash; 0 at Easter Road, thereby winning the league championship title. Earlier in the season Celtic recorded a record seventh straight win over city rivals Rangers.
Wage bills were slashed as the club embarked on an extensive cost-cutting programme in an attempt to stabilise a mushrooming (and unsustainable) debt. Confronted with a squad of well-paid but ageing players largely assembled by Advocaat, McLeish was compelled to rebuild without the luxury of the generous transfer kitty enjoyed by his predecessors over the preceding two decades, and lost from his treble winning team the inspirational but mistake-prone ], Scottish international winger ] and, most damagingly of all, club captain ] to ]


Celtic ended the season one week later with a 1&ndash;0 win over ] in the ] Final, which was marked by fans as Martin O'Neill's final match as manager.
To replace these players, McLeish was required to rebuild, not through the high-profile and often audacious signings of the Souness, Smith and Advocaat years, but via wheeling and dealing and the selective use of 'Bosman' free transfers.


On ], ], O'Neill announced he would resign as manager of Celtic at the end of 2004/05 season along with first team coach Steve Walford and assistant manager ]. It was widely reported that O'Neill decided to take time out of football in order to care for his ailing wife Geraldine, who is gravely ill with ].
After a good start to 2003/2004 which saw the team lead the ] and qualify for the money-spinning ] (with another dramatic late goal in Denmark against ]), the loss of Ferguson shortly afterwards led to a dramatic downturn in results and a trophyless campaign. McLeish's Bosman signings of experienced players, such as the Brazilian midfielder ] and Norwegian forward ] have since entered Ibrox folklore as some of the worst players to pull on a Rangers shirt.


Martin O'Neill is now recognised as Celtic's most successful manager since ] and is credited with helping to restore some pride in Celtic's ability to compete on the European stage.
Most damagingly of all, however, was the £600,000 signing of Portuguese winger ]. Unlike the other Bosmans that year, not only was a fee paid for this player but he was a signing that McLeish had planned himself, and his ignominous spell at the club started to earn the Ibrox boss a reputation of being unable to identify quality players in the transfer market.


===2005-2006===
The discontent that had simmered since his arrival at the club surfaced again, with many fans who had never accepted McLeish as one of their own calling for him to go.
Former ] player and Scotland international ] from Edinburgh took charge of the club on ], ], on a 12-month rolling contract, similar to O'Neill's arrangement with the club; his contract effectively extending for one calendar year from any current date. Garry Pendrey was appointed as Strachan's assistant manager.


In his first competitive match, against ] on ], ], Celtic lost 5-0 in the first leg of an important ] 2nd Round qualifier, suffering the worst European defeat in the club's history and the widest margin of defeat since the 1963-64 season, when the club lost 6-0 to ] at Rugby Park.
The 2004/2005 season started in the same vein, with McLeish making another dreadful signing in Serbian midfielder, ], for £1m. The Serb would manage less than ten games for the club.


In Strachan's first domestic match of the 2005-2006 SPL season, Celtic relinquished a 3-1 half-time lead over ] at Fir Park on ], ], the game ending in a 4-4 draw after Celtic managed to equalise through a goal by ].
On the pitch, the team again fell behind Celtic in the league and exited the Champions League at the qualifying stage. It was rumoured that failure to gain entry into the new ] group stage would see McLeish lose his job, but another late goal and a penalty shoot out win over ] of Portugal provided him with a stay of execution.


The nine goals against Celtic in Strachan's first two competitive matches is the biggest goal tally scored against the club in successive matches for 14 years.
After this, his fortunes began to turn again. Mladenovic aside, McLeish had made some canny signings in the summer, such as ], plus the Bosmans ], ] along with teak-tough midfielder and Rangers die-hard ]. Once these players settled in, the team began to recover ground on O'Neill's ageing Celtic side.


In the return leg of the Champions League 2nd Round qualifier against Artmedia at Celtic Park, Strachan's vastly improved side won 4-0 but were eliminated from European competition 5-4 on aggregate.
Boumsong, in particular, was a great success but he was to be sold in January 2005, after only six months at the club, to English Premiership side ] (managed by former boss ]) for £8m.


However, following these setbacks, and a defeat against Rangers in the first Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox, Celtic recorded a series of victories, including beating Rangers twice, and returned to the top of the SPL - a vast improvement on their form at the start of the season.
This cash paved the way for more signings, including ] and the return of former captain and prodigal son ].


Celtic knocked arch rivals Rangers out of the League cup on the ], ]. Celtic were knocked out of the Scottish Cup on 8 January 2006 by First Division ]
Another trophy, the ], was procured in March 2005 after a 5-1 victory over Motherwell (see ]).


Celtic beat Rangers again on 12 February to make it 17 wins from the previous 21 Old Firm games. Celtic won the ], with a 3-0 win over ] on the 19 March. They have already created a new scoring record for the SPL, an 8 - 1 victory against Dunfermline in February 2006.
The league, however, appeared to have been lost. Despite catching and overtaking Celtic (two Old Firm wins, including a pivotal 2-0 victory at Parkhead - McLeish's first win there as Ibrox manager) nerves seemed to get the better of Rangers once they had got on top.


On the ], ] Celtic clinched their 40th title thanks to a goal from ] in a 1-0 win against ] at Celtic Park. The title was Celtic's fourth title in six years. This feat was achieved with six games remaining until the end of the season and before the ] split.
A loss to Celtic in the last derby of the season handed a five-point lead to their rivals with only four games of the season remaining, and seemed to end McLeish's hopes of a second league title.


==Club records==
However, the Ibrox team managed to win the league title on the last day of the season. A 3-1 home loss to Hibernian the week after the derby meant only two points separated the sides going into the final game of the season, at which point Rangers needed to win at Hibernian and hope that Celtic would drop points at Fir Park. In perhaps even more dramatic circumstances than two years previously (see ]), ] overcame a 1-0 deficit with two goals in injury time to defeat the Parkhead side, while Rangers edged out a tight 1-0 win at Easter Road.
*The ] final win against ] in 1938 was attended by a crowd of 146,433 at ] in ], which remains a record for a club match in ] football.
*Celtic currently hold the UK record for an unbeaten run in professional football: 62 games (49 won, 13 drawn), from ], ] until ], ]- a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to ] on the last day of the season).
*Celtic also hold the SPL record for an unbeaten run of home matches (77), spanning from 2001 to 2004 (this run was ended by a 3-2 defeat to Aberdeen on ], ]), and the record for the longest run of consecutive wins in a single season (25 matches).
*Record Victory: 11-0, against Dundee in 1895.
*Record defeat: 0-8 against ] in 1937.
*Record Home defeat: 0-5 against ] in 1895.
*Record post war home defeat 1-5 Aberdeen 1948.
*The four Record European victories 9-0 KPV Kokkola (Finland), 1970. 8-1 Suduva (Lithuania), 2003. 7-0 Waterford (Rep.Ireland), 1970, 7-0 Valur Rekjavik, 1975.
*Record European defeat: 0-5 against ] on ], ].
*Record victory against Rangers: 7-1 1957 Scottish league cup final.
*Record points earned in a season: 72 (Premier Division, 1987/88, 2 points for a Win); 103 (Scottish Premier League, 2001/02, 3 points for a win), which is also the SPL points tally record.
*Record home attendance: 92,000 against ] in 1938. A 3-0 victory for Celtic.


*Most Capped Player: 80, ]: ]
For 89 minutes of the match, Rangers thought their rivals were set for the title, and once news broke of Motherwell's late intervention, ecstasy awaited for the Ibrox legions. Even the helicopter that was carrying the league trophy was on its way to Fir Park to present it to Celtic when it had to turn around and fly to Easter Road. McLeish could celebrate his second, and Rangers' 51st, league title.
*Most Scotland Caps: 76, ].
*Record Appearances: ], 486 from 1957 - 1975.
*Most goals in a season: ], 53.
*Record scorer: ], 397 (plus 13 whilst on-loan at Clydebank).
*First British club to reach the final of the European Cup.
*First and only Scottish club to reach the final of the European Cup.
*First Scottish, British and northern European team to win the European Cup.
*Only club in history to have won the European Cup with a team comprised entirely of home-grown talent (all last four in 1967 ,in which year Celtic achieved the feat of winning every competition they played in).
*Hold the record for the highest score in a domestic cup final: Celtic 7 - 1 Rangers, Scottish League Cup Final 1957.
*Hold the record for the highest attendance for a club football match anywhere in Europe: Celtic v Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final 1937 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 146,433. Unofficial attendance 147,365.
*Hold the record for the highest attendance for a European club competition match: Celtic v Leeds Utd in the European Cup semi-final 1970 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 133,961.
*Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football - ] v ] of ] in 2000.


==Major honours==
Season 2005/2006 got off to a bad start, with Rangers only winning six league games out of the first 17, being knocked out of the League Cup by Celtic in the process. The period from October through to early December saw the team embark on the worst run in their history, going ten games without a win.
*'''] (1):''' ]. Runner-up 1970.
*'''] runner-up 2003, quarter-finals 2004
*'''Scottish League Champions (40):''' 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1936, 1938, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006.
*'''] (33):''' 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005.
*'''] (13):''' 1957, 1958, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1983, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006.


==Other honours==
During this time, however, the club became the first Scottish side to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, yet there was still significant pressure on McLeish from fans due to the club's poor position in the domestic league table. It was widely felt - and publicised - that chairman ] would let McLeish go after the European campaign had finished, and a press conference arranged two days after the final group match seemed to confirm this.
*''']:''' 1974.
* ''']''': 1992.
*'''] (29)''': 1891, 1892, 1895, 1896, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1975<nowiki>*</nowiki>, 1982 ''(<nowiki>*</nowiki> 1975 shared with Rangers after 2-2 draw)''
*''']:''' 1953.
*'''Scottish League Commemorative Shield''': 1904/05, 1909/10
*'''Empire Exhibition Trophy''': 1938
*'''Victory In Europe Cup''': 1945
*'''Saint Mungo Cup''': 1951


==All time scorers==
However, Murray seemed to undergo a change of heart and stated that McLeish would remain in charge indefinitely (see]), but did concede that domestic results would need to improve. Rumours continued to suggest that this was because his favoured target, Frenchman ], was unwilling to take charge until the summer.
Top 10 all time goal-scorers (including, League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and European goals):


#] - 397 (McGrory also holds the record for the most professional career league goals in British football history).
After this announcement, the team improved briefly, helped by the signing from Kilmarnock of the young Scot and SPL top scorer ]. The side strung together a ten-match unbeaten run. Yet, entering the crucial month of February, which was to feature a must-win Old Firm match and the resumption of European football, this evaporated completely.
#] - 273
#] - 242 (Henrik Larsson holds the record for goals scored for a British club in Europe)
#] - 232
#] - 217
#] - 192
#] - 188
#] - 177
#] - 168
#] - 167


Top 10 League goal-scorers:
Rangers lost 3-0 at home to ] on ], ] to go out of the ] and end their last realistic hopes of silverware for the season. Protests against McLeish and the chairman who had kept him on followed the game, and four days later they were humbled in a 2-0 defeat at McLeish's old club, ]


#]- 397
After signs that supporter unrest was turning on Murray, on ], ], two days before the crucial Old Firm match, it was announced that Alex McLeish would leave his position as manager at the end of the 2005-06 season (see ]), and on ], the worst-kept secret in Scottish football was confirmed with the news that former ] manager ] would indeed succeed him at the end of the season (see ]).
#] - 187
#] - 186
#] - 174
#] - 167
#] - 159
#] - 144
#] - 130
#] - 128
#] - 115


==Celtic Managers==
It was also announced that the Frenchman would be given significant funds with which to strengthen the squad, with Rangers having announced a £48m tie-up with sports retailer ].
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Ireland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Slovakia}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|England}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} ], ]-]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ], ]-


==Current squad==
Paul Le Guen was sought after by clubs such as ], ] and ] and has a good track record. At Lyon he signed ].
{{Football squad start}}
{{Football squad player|no=1|nat=Poland|name=]|pos=GK}}
Overall, the McLeish era was mixed. Results swung violently from one season to the next, while his record in the transfer market was equally inconsistent: "For every Prso, there were two Capuchos," complain some disgruntled fans.
{{Football squad player|no=2|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=3|nat=Guinea|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=4|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=6|nat=Guinea|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=7|nat=Poland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=8|nat=England|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=9|nat=England|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=10|nat=Wales|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=11|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=12|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=16|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=MF|other=Captain 3}}
{{Football squad player|no=18|nat=Northern Ireland|name=]|pos=MF|other=Captain}}
{{Football squad player|no=19|nat=Bulgaria|name=]|pos=MF|other=Captain 2}}
{{Football squad player|no=22|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Football squad player|no=23|nat=Slovakia|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=25|nat=Japan|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad mid}}
{{Football squad player|no=29|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=33|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=35|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=37|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=38|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=40|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=41|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=42|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=43|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=44|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=46|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=47|nat=Northern Ireland|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Football squad player|no=48|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=49|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=50|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=53|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=54|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}


{{Football squad end}}
The lack of money certainly played its part in McLeish's downfall, but there is little evidence, based on the money he '''did''' have to spend, that greater sums would have been invested wisely. At a time when Scottish talent was beginning to emerge again, many fans found it puzzling that McLeish failed to make more of an effort to raid markets closer to home, or to develop youth players.

It is worth noting that McLeish obtained seven domestic trophies in four years, equalling the record of his initial Old Firm counterpart Martin O'Neill.

==Famous players==
Famous present or former players at Ibrox include:

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*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]²
*]²
*]²
*]¹ ²
|}

'''¹''' - Player is included in the ].

'''²''' - Player is still currently playing for the club.

==Team managers==
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (twice) (] - ]) and (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] (] - ])
* {{flagicon|France}} ] (] - )

==Current squad (])==
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=Germany|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=Netherlands|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=3|nat=France|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Belgium|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=Trinidad and Tobago|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF|other=captain}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=France|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=Croatia|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=Spain|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=12|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=Greece|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}} (Number 27 in European competition)
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=France|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=France|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=25|nat=Netherlands|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=Denmark|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=31|nat=Tunisia|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=France|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=37|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=39|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=41|nat=England|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=43|nat=Canada|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=45|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=46|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=47|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=48|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=50|nat=France|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=51|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=52|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=53|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=54|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=55|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=56|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{fs player|no=64|nat=SCO|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=66|nat=England|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs end}}


===Players out on loan=== ===Players out on loan===
{| {|
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=GK|other=on loan to ]}} {{Football squad player|no=39|nat=Scotland|name=] (''on loan to ]'')|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=Northern Ireland|name=]|pos=DF|other=on loan to ]}} {{fs player|no= &mdash; |nat=ISL|name=]|pos=FW|other=on loan to ]}}
{{Fs player|no=38|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF|other=on loan to ]}} {{Football squad player|no= &mdash; |nat=Scotland|name=] (''on loan to ])|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=Georgia|name=]|pos=DF|other=on loan to ]}} {{fs player|no=&mdash;|nat=IRL|name=]|pos=MF|other=on loan to ]}}
{{Fs player|no=44|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=FW|other=on loan to ]}}
|} |}


===Transfers, season 2005-06=== ===Transfers season 2005-06===
'''Future Signing agreed:'''
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free (Joining in the Summer 2006-07).
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free (Joining in the summer 2006-07).


'''In:''' '''In:'''
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Bosman * {{flagicon|England}} ] - ] - Free
* {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] Bosman * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - £500,000.
* {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] Bosman * {{flagicon|Ireland}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|China}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] £1m * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - £200,000.
* {{flagicon|Greece}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - £1,500,000.
* {{flagicon|England}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Japan}} ] - ] - £2,500,000.
* {{flagicon|Italy}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Poland}} ] - ] - £2,500,000.
* {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Poland}} ] - ] - Undisclosed.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Undisc (reportedly £400,000) * {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|Guinea}} ] - No Club - Free.


'''Out:''' '''Out:'''
* {{flagicon|Sweden}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free
* {{flagicon|Georgia}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|France}} ] - Released by mutual consent.
* {{flagicon|Finland}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Ireland}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} ] - ] Nominal * {{flagicon|Iceland}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|England}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Serbia and Montenegro}} ] - ] - Free * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|Georgia}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Loan.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|France}} ] - ] - Loan Cancelled (now at ] on Loan)
* {{flagicon|England}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Spain}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Switzerland}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Italy}} ] - Released * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Undisc (reportedly £250,000) * {{flagicon|Guinea}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] Loan * {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Finland}} ] - ] Free * {{flagicon|Belgium}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|England}} ] - ] Loan Expired * {{flagicon|Denmark}} ] - ] - Free.
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} ] - Hamilton Academical * {{flagicon|Sweden}} ] - Released.
* {{flagicon|China}} ] - ] - Loan Finished.


==Non-playing staff== ==Famous Celts==
''Listed according to when they debuted for Celtic (year in parentheses):''
{|-table style="width: 100%; text-align: left;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"
*]: ] (1888)
|valign="top"|
*]: ] (1900)
*'''Chairman:''' ]
*]: ] (1911?)
*'''Chief Executive:''' Martin Bain
*]: ] (1922), ] (1926)
*'''Director of Finance:''' David Jolliffe
*]: ] (1934)
*'''Director:''' ]
*]: ] (1948)
*'''Non-Executive Director:''' Alastair Johnston
*]: ] (1951), ] (1955), ] (1957), ] (1957), ] (1958), ] (1958), ] (1959)
*'''Non-Executive Director:''' David Cunningham King
*]: ] (1959-1969), ] (1961), ] (1961), ] (1963), Bertie Auld (1965), ] (1965), ] (1965?), ] (1965), ] (1965), ] (1966), ] (1967), ] (1967), ] (1969), ] (1969), ] (1969), ] (1969)
*'''Non-Executive Director:''' John McClelland
*]: ] (1975), ] (1975), ] (1971)
*'''Non-Executive Director:''' Donald Wilson
*]: ] (1980), ] (1981), ] (1984)
*]: ] (1995), ] (1997), ] (1997)
*]: ] (2000), ] (2000), ] (2001), ] (2001), ] (2005), ] (2005), ] (2006)


==Greatest ever team==
|valign="top"|
The following team was voted the greatest ever Celtic team in by supporters in 2002 ().
*'''Manager:''' ]
*'''Assistant Manager:''' ]
*'''First Team Coach:''' ]
*'''Reserve Coach:''' John Brown
*'''Club Doctor:''' Dr Ian McGuinness
*'''Physiotherapists:''' Davie Henderson, Stuart Collie, Steve Walker
|}


#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
==Club records==
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
'''Record home attendance''':
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
118,567 .v. Celtic, January, 1939
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]
#{{flagicon|Sweden}} ]
#{{flagicon|Scotland}} ]


==See also==
'''Record victory''':
*]
13-0 .v. Possilpark, Scottish Cup, October, 1877
*]

*]
'''Record league victory''':
*]
10-0 .v. Hibernian, December, 1898
*]

*]
'''Record defeat''':
*]
2-10 .v. Airdrieonians, 1886

'''Record league defeat''':
0-6 Dumbarton, May, 1892

'''Record appearances''':
John Greig, 755, 1960-1978

'''Record league appearances''':
Sandy Archibald, 513, 1917-1934

'''Record Scottish Cup appearances''':
Alec Smith, 74

'''Record league cup appearances''':
John Greig, 121

'''Record European appearances''':
John Greig, 64

'''Record goalscorer''':
Ally McCoist, 355 goals, 1983-1998

'''Most goals in one season''':
Sam English, 44 goals, 1931/1932

'''Most league goals''':
Ally McCoist, 251 goals

'''Most Scottish Cup goals''':
Jimmy Fleming, 44 goals

'''Most League Cup goals''':
Ally McCoist, 54 goals

'''Most European goals''':
Ally McCoist, 21 goals

'''Most capped player''':
Frank De Boer, 112 caps for The Netherlands

'''Highest transfer fee received''':
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, £8.5m, Arsenal, 2001

'''Highest transfer fee paid''':
Tore André Flo, £12.5m, Chelsea, 2000

==Greatest team==
The following team was voted as the greatest-ever Rangers team at an awards ceremony in 1999. Thousands of Rangers fans voted.

#] ] (Goalkeeper)
#] ] (Defender)
#] ] (Defender)
#] ] (Defender)
#] ] (Defender)
#] ] (Midfielder)
#] ] (Midfielder)
#] ] (Midfielder)
#] ] (Striker)
#] ] (Striker)
#] ] (Midfielder)

== Honours ==
Rangers have the all-time worldwide lead for domestic league championships, racking up their 51st (excluding unofficial wartime leagues) title in 2005.

They also share the all-time worldwide lead for ] with ] club ], with 17 as of 2004-05, and hold the record for ], with seven so far.

Rangers won their 100th major trophy in 2000, the first club in the world to reach that milestone.

=== Major honours ===

* '''European Cup Winners Cup Champions''' '''(1)''': 1972

* '''Scottish League Champions (51)''': 1891, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005

* '''Scottish Cup Winners (31)''': 1894, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003

* '''Scottish League Cup Winners (24)''': 1946, 1948, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005

=== Other honours ===
* '''Emergency War League (1)''': 1940
* '''Southern League (6)''': 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946
*'''] (3)''': (Premier) 1984, 1992; (Junior) 1985
* '''] (1)''': 1979
* '''] (2)''': 1984, 1989
* '''] (44)''': 1893, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1918, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1969, 1971, 1975*, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 <br>*1975 trophy shared with Celtic after 2-2 draw
* '''Glasgow Merchants and Charity Cup (32)''': 1878-79, 1896-97, 1899-1900, 1903-04, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1908-09, 1910-11, 1918-19, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1924-25, 1927-28, 1928-29, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1938-39, 1939-40, 1940-41, 1941-42, 1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1959-60
* '''Glasgow League (2)''': 1895/96, 1897/98


==External links== ==External links==
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
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*
*
* *
*

*
{{RFCbyseason}}
*

*
{{Champions League 2005/06}}
*
*
*
*


{{Scottish Premier League}}
{{Scottish_Premier_League}}


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Revision as of 21:48, 8 April 2006

Football club
Celtic F.C.
File:Celtic FC logo.png
Full nameThe Celtic Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bhoys, The Hoops, The Tic
Founded1888
GroundCeltic Park,
Glasgow, Scotland
Capacity60,830
ChairmanScottish Brian Quinn
ManagerScottish Gordon Strachan
LeagueScottish Premier League
2005-2006Scottish Premier League, 1st
Home colours Away colours

Celtic Football Club, more commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced sel tik), is based in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The club is officially nicknamed the Bhoys, or unofficially the Hoops. The team plays their home games at Celtic Park (sometimes known as Parkhead), which is currently the second largest club stadium in the United Kingdom. Celtic Park attracts, on average, around 57-58,000 people to every home game , which means that Celtic are second only to Manchester United in terms of average attendance records in British football.

Together with their city rivals, Rangers F.C., they have dominated Scottish football for over 100 years as part of the Old Firm, forming one of the most famous and fiercest rivalries in sport.

Celtic's home kit is green and white hooped jerseys, white shorts and white socks (currently with green trim).

In 1967, the club became the first British team to win the European Cup, which had previously been in the preserve of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish clubs. Prior to Celtic's historic win, no other club in Northern Europe had won the tournament.

Additionally, Celtic remain the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final, and are the only club ever to win the trophy with a team composed entirely of home-grown talent; all of the players in the side were Scottish, and all were born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park in Glasgow.

History

Main article: History of Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club was formally constituted at a meeting in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church hall on East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, Glasgow, by a Marist monk named Brother Walfrid on 6 November, 1887.

The charity established by Brother Walfrid was named The Poor Children's Dinner Table. Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian F.C. who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population a few years earlier in Edinburgh.

On 28 May, 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5-2 in what was described as a "friendly encounter".

The Old Firm and sectarianism

The term sectarian designates someone who relates to a sect, and displays hatred or dislike of others who do not belong to their sect.

In the context of Scottish football, sectarianism is beyond the control of any individual football club. It is a much wider issue, rooted in social, cultural, historical and religious circumstances. Nevertheless, both Celtic and Rangers accept that they have a problem with sectarianism. Both sides of the Old Firm admit that a proportion of their supporters have been, and continue to be, guilty of perpetuating sectarian beliefs and cultural intolerance.

In recent times, both Celtic and Rangers have taken measures to combat sectarianism and sectarian related violence. Working alongside the Scottish Parliament, church groups and community organisations, the Old Firm has clamped down on sectarian songs, inflammatory flag-waving, and troublesome supporters, using increased levels of policing and surveillance. In 1996, for instance, Celtic launched their Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign, later followed by Youth Against Bigotry to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community - all races, all colours, all creeds", according to then chief executive Ian McLeod .

Celtic and the media

Celtic have always attempted to engage directly with the fans and bypass the traditional media outlets as a method of communicating accurate information to the outside world about the inner workings of the club.

When Jock Stein took over as Celtic manager, he instigated a trend in British football that subsequently became known as the "tracksuit manager", where he trained publicly with the playing staff, hosted media/press conferences and instituted the UK's first ever regular football club newspaper to be produced directly by the club itself, The Celtic View.

An anti-Celtic agenda?

Many Celtic supporters claim that there is a bias against the club, though this is denied by supporters of other teams.

Supporters highlight the case of Jorge Cadete as an example of the alleged bias. In 1996 the striker's SFA registration papers were deliberately delayed by SFA chairman Jim Farry, at the same time as a sequence of below-par results for the team during the period when Cadete was ineligible to play. Rangers went on to win a league and cup double, with Celtic losing only one match all season.

Farry was later found guilty of misconduct and was sacked by the SFA, while Celtic received a compensation package of £50,000, although doubtless they would have preferred to have had the player available.

Recent seasons

2003-2004

After a draw in the opening game of the season, Celtic notched up a record-setting 25-match winning run, now a British record in top-level football, giving Celtic a healthy lead in the title race. Celtic did not lose a game until after the club's 39th championship was delivered.

The 2003-2004 season also saw Celtic notch up four league wins over Rangers, and one in the Scottish Cup - the first time in either club's history when a five-match "whitewash" had been achieved.

Club hero Henrik Larsson played his final professional match for Celtic in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final victory over Dunfermline, scoring two goals, with Bulgarian Stilian Petrov's goal sandwiched in between Larsson's goals to overturn an early setback, and handing Celtic their second double under Martin O'Neill.

Larsson is now widely acknowledged as one of the club's greatest ever players, and ranks amongst the top three goalscorers in the club's history.

2004-2005

Following a close race for the SPL title, with Rangers closely following, the club extended their lead at the top of the SPL table to two points as they lined up for the final game of the season, with a win at Motherwell F.C. required to seal the title. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Celtic were leading 1 – 0 — a result which would have handed them the crown.

However, Motherwell's Scott McDonald netted two last-minute goals giving the Fir Park side an unlikely victory. Rangers defeated Hibernian F.C. 1 – 0 at Easter Road, thereby winning the league championship title. Earlier in the season Celtic recorded a record seventh straight win over city rivals Rangers.

Celtic ended the season one week later with a 1–0 win over Dundee United F.C. in the Scottish Cup Final, which was marked by fans as Martin O'Neill's final match as manager.

On 25 May, 2005, O'Neill announced he would resign as manager of Celtic at the end of 2004/05 season along with first team coach Steve Walford and assistant manager John Robertson. It was widely reported that O'Neill decided to take time out of football in order to care for his ailing wife Geraldine, who is gravely ill with lymphoma.

Martin O'Neill is now recognised as Celtic's most successful manager since Jock Stein and is credited with helping to restore some pride in Celtic's ability to compete on the European stage.

2005-2006

Former Aberdeen F.C. player and Scotland international Gordon Strachan from Edinburgh took charge of the club on 1 June, 2005, on a 12-month rolling contract, similar to O'Neill's arrangement with the club; his contract effectively extending for one calendar year from any current date. Garry Pendrey was appointed as Strachan's assistant manager.

In his first competitive match, against Artmedia Bratislava on 27 July, 2005, Celtic lost 5-0 in the first leg of an important Champions League 2nd Round qualifier, suffering the worst European defeat in the club's history and the widest margin of defeat since the 1963-64 season, when the club lost 6-0 to Kilmarnock F.C. at Rugby Park.

In Strachan's first domestic match of the 2005-2006 SPL season, Celtic relinquished a 3-1 half-time lead over Motherwell F.C. at Fir Park on 30 July, 2005, the game ending in a 4-4 draw after Celtic managed to equalise through a goal by Craig Beattie.

The nine goals against Celtic in Strachan's first two competitive matches is the biggest goal tally scored against the club in successive matches for 14 years.

In the return leg of the Champions League 2nd Round qualifier against Artmedia at Celtic Park, Strachan's vastly improved side won 4-0 but were eliminated from European competition 5-4 on aggregate.

However, following these setbacks, and a defeat against Rangers in the first Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox, Celtic recorded a series of victories, including beating Rangers twice, and returned to the top of the SPL - a vast improvement on their form at the start of the season.

Celtic knocked arch rivals Rangers out of the League cup on the 19 November, 2005. Celtic were knocked out of the Scottish Cup on 8 January 2006 by First Division Clyde F.C.

Celtic beat Rangers again on 12 February to make it 17 wins from the previous 21 Old Firm games. Celtic won the CIS Cup, with a 3-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic F.C. on the 19 March. They have already created a new scoring record for the SPL, an 8 - 1 victory against Dunfermline in February 2006.

On the 5 April, 2006 Celtic clinched their 40th title thanks to a goal from John Hartson in a 1-0 win against Hearts at Celtic Park. The title was Celtic's fourth title in six years. This feat was achieved with six games remaining until the end of the season and before the SPL split.

Club records

  • The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen F.C. in 1938 was attended by a crowd of 146,433 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which remains a record for a club match in European football.
  • Celtic currently hold the UK record for an unbeaten run in professional football: 62 games (49 won, 13 drawn), from 13 November, 1915 until 21 April, 1917- a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to Kilmarnock F.C. on the last day of the season).
  • Celtic also hold the SPL record for an unbeaten run of home matches (77), spanning from 2001 to 2004 (this run was ended by a 3-2 defeat to Aberdeen on 21 April, 2004), and the record for the longest run of consecutive wins in a single season (25 matches).
  • Record Victory: 11-0, against Dundee in 1895.
  • Record defeat: 0-8 against Motherwell F.C. in 1937.
  • Record Home defeat: 0-5 against Heart of Midlothian F.C. in 1895.
  • Record post war home defeat 1-5 Aberdeen 1948.
  • The four Record European victories 9-0 KPV Kokkola (Finland), 1970. 8-1 Suduva (Lithuania), 2003. 7-0 Waterford (Rep.Ireland), 1970, 7-0 Valur Rekjavik, 1975.
  • Record European defeat: 0-5 against FC Artmedia Bratislava on 27 July, 2005.
  • Record victory against Rangers: 7-1 1957 Scottish league cup final.
  • Record points earned in a season: 72 (Premier Division, 1987/88, 2 points for a Win); 103 (Scottish Premier League, 2001/02, 3 points for a win), which is also the SPL points tally record.
  • Record home attendance: 92,000 against Rangers F.C. in 1938. A 3-0 victory for Celtic.
  • Most Capped Player: 80, Pat Bonner: Republic of Ireland
  • Most Scotland Caps: 76, Paul McStay.
  • Record Appearances: Billy McNeill, 486 from 1957 - 1975.
  • Most goals in a season: Henrik Larsson, 53.
  • Record scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 397 (plus 13 whilst on-loan at Clydebank).
  • First British club to reach the final of the European Cup.
  • First and only Scottish club to reach the final of the European Cup.
  • First Scottish, British and northern European team to win the European Cup.
  • Only club in history to have won the European Cup with a team comprised entirely of home-grown talent (all last four in 1967 ,in which year Celtic achieved the feat of winning every competition they played in).
  • Hold the record for the highest score in a domestic cup final: Celtic 7 - 1 Rangers, Scottish League Cup Final 1957.
  • Hold the record for the highest attendance for a club football match anywhere in Europe: Celtic v Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final 1937 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 146,433. Unofficial attendance 147,365.
  • Hold the record for the highest attendance for a European club competition match: Celtic v Leeds Utd in the European Cup semi-final 1970 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 133,961.
  • Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football - Mark Burchill v Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg in 2000.

Major honours

  • European Champions Cup (1): 1967. Runner-up 1970.
  • UEFA Cup runner-up 2003, quarter-finals 2004
  • Scottish League Champions (40): 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1936, 1938, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006.
  • Scottish Cup (33): 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005.
  • Scottish League Cup (13): 1957, 1958, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1983, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006.

Other honours

  • Drybrough Cup: 1974.
  • Tennents' Sixes: 1992.
  • Glasgow Cup (29): 1891, 1892, 1895, 1896, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1975*, 1982 (* 1975 shared with Rangers after 2-2 draw)
  • Coronation Cup: 1953.
  • Scottish League Commemorative Shield: 1904/05, 1909/10
  • Empire Exhibition Trophy: 1938
  • Victory In Europe Cup: 1945
  • Saint Mungo Cup: 1951

All time scorers

Top 10 all time goal-scorers (including, League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and European goals):

  1. Jimmy McGrory - 397 (McGrory also holds the record for the most professional career league goals in British football history).
  2. Bobby Lennox - 273
  3. Henrik Larsson - 242 (Henrik Larsson holds the record for goals scored for a British club in Europe)
  4. Stevie Chalmers - 232
  5. Jimmy Quinn - 217
  6. Patsy Gallacher - 192
  7. John Hughes - 188
  8. Sandy McMahon - 177
  9. Jimmy McMenemy - 168
  10. Kenny Dalglish - 167

Top 10 League goal-scorers:

  1. Jimmy McGrory- 397
  2. Jimmy Quinn - 187
  3. Patsy Gallacher - 186
  4. Henrik Larsson - 174
  5. Bobby Lennox - 167
  6. Stevie Chalmers - 159
  7. Jimmy McMenemy - 144
  8. Sandy McMahon - 130
  9. Adam McLean - 128
  10. John Hughes - 115

Celtic Managers

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Poland POL Artur Boruc
2 DF Scotland SCO Paul Telfer
3 DF Guinea GUI Mohammed Camara
4 DF Scotland SCO Adam Virgo
6 DF Guinea GUI Bobo Balde
7 FW Poland POL Maciej Żurawski
8 MF England ENG Alan Thompson
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin
10 FW Wales WAL John Hartson
11 MF Scotland SCO Stephen Pearson
12 DF Scotland SCO Mark Wilson
16 MF Ireland EIR Roy Keane (Captain 3)
18 MF Northern Ireland NIR Neil Lennon (Captain)
19 MF Bulgaria BUL Stilian Petrov (Captain 2)
22 GK Scotland SCO David Marshall
23 DF Slovakia SVK Stanislav Varga
25 MF Japan JPN Shunsuke Nakamura
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 FW Scotland SCO Shaun Maloney
33 DF Scotland SCO Ross Wallace
35 MF Scotland SCO Paul Lawson
37 FW Scotland SCO Craig Beattie
38 MF Scotland SCO Rocco Quinn
40 MF Scotland SCO Michael Gardyne
41 DF Scotland SCO John Kennedy
42 FW Scotland SCO Michael McGlinchey
43 FW Ireland EIR Diarmuid O'Carroll
44 DF Scotland SCO Stephen McManus
46 MF Ireland EIR Aiden McGeady
47 GK Northern Ireland NIR Michael McGovern
48 DF Ireland EIR Darren O'Dea
49 DF Scotland SCO Scott Cuthbert
50 DF Scotland SCO Gary Irvine
53 MF Scotland SCO Simon Ferry
54 MF Scotland SCO Ryan Conroy

Players out on loan

39 DF Scotland SCO Charles Mulgrew (on loan to Dundee United F.C.)
— FW Iceland ISL Kjartan Finnbogason (on loan to Queen's Park F.C.)
— GK Scotland SCO Sandy Wood (on loan to Montrose F.C.)
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Gary Walsh (on loan to East Stirlingshire F.C.)

Transfers season 2005-06

Future Signing agreed:

In:

Out:

Famous Celts

Listed according to when they debuted for Celtic (year in parentheses):

Greatest ever team

The following team was voted the greatest ever Celtic team in by supporters in 2002 (BBC).

  1. Scotland Ronnie Simpson
  2. Scotland Danny McGrain
  3. Scotland Tommy Gemmell
  4. Scotland Bobby Murdoch
  5. Scotland Billy McNeil
  6. Scotland Bertie Auld
  7. Scotland Jimmy Johnstone
  8. Scotland Paul McStay
  9. Scotland Kenny Dalglish
  10. Sweden Henrik Larsson
  11. Scotland Bobby Lennox

See also

External links

Scottish Premier League (1998–2013)
« Scottish Football League Premier Division (1975–98) Scottish Premiership (2013– ) »
Former teams
Seasons
Categories: